Running discussion on SP, page-30070

"Obviously a lot of water that needs to go under the bridge before production starts, such as signing Offtakes and getting finance, but I found it interesting in itself. Research report demonstrates that the long term benefits here for us SHs are achieving mining and hitting DFS targets, but in terms of SP growth it does require milestones been hit by AVZ, and hence the risk. A key risk is demand needs to return to the growth trajectory pre-COVID 19 on the road to 2000 GWh by 2030 so that AVZ can enter the market this side of 2025."


What crisis?

New-car sales surge in June 2020, best result in 12 months

New-car sales in June bounced back better than expected after a tough April and May, now the industry is bracing for a stock shortage in the coming months.

Australians treated themselves to more than 110,000 new cars in June 2020 – the strongest monthly result since June last year and better than was widely anticipated – as most of the nation gradually emerged from COVID-19 lockdowns.

The recovery was also driven by tradies and small businesses buoyed by the Federal Government’s $150,000 instant asset tax write-off, which saw all three German luxury brands – Audi, BMW and Mercedes and Japan's Lexus – post massive sales growth, and many mainstream dealers sell out of utes and vans even though the scheme was extended to the end of the year at the beginning of the month.

Australia's top-selling vehicle, the Toyota HiLux ute, posted an all-time monthly sales record – with 6537 deliveries its best result since June 2018 – while the Ford Ranger was the nation's top-selling four-wheel-drive.

Recreational vehicles and heavy duty four-wheel-drives also sold well as Australians plan to holiday at home in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, with sales gains for the Toyota Prado, Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol.

Contrary to earlier predictions between 85,000 and 95,000 vehicles would be delivered last month, official figures released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries showed a total of 110,234 were reported as sold in June 2020, a decline of only 6.4 per cent compared to the same month last year – and a stark contrast to the 35.3 per cent and 48.5 per cent declines in May and April respectively.

Sales of utes and vans surged by 8.6 per cent, and SUVs also outpaced the market (down by only 2.9 per cent versus the overall market decline of 6.4 per cent), however passenger cars got stuck in reverse (down 26.1 per cent), reflecting changing buyer preferences.

However, the latest figures show signs of recovery; the weakest June tally in nine years follows a 23-year low in May and the lowest April result in at least 30 years.

June 2020 was the second month in a row of month-to-month growth.

The surge was so unexpected the car industry is now bracing for a slowdown in the coming months as many dealers have run out of key models – in particular utes and vans – which historically post their best sales in the lead up to the end of the financial year, 30 June.

Factory shutdowns during the coronavirus crisis temporarily cut off supply of new models, and stronger than expected demand depleted many showrooms of remaining stock.

In a media statement the chief executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, Tony Weber, said showroom traffic increased as COVID-19 restrictions eased.

Toyota, the market leader for the past 17 years in a row, accounted for one in five of all new vehicles reported as sold, as its market share slipped from 26.5 per cent in April, and 24.2 per cent in May, to 20.7 per cent in June.

Toyota finished comfortably ahead of Mazda and Hyundai. In another upset, Volkswagen ranked sixth outright in June for the second month in a row.

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Sales of Chinese cars hit top gear: MG, LDV, Haval post record month

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Tesla Semi put to work as California aims for zero truck emissions

A Tesla Semi has been spotted transporting Model 3 sedans, as California sets zero emissions target for trucks.

Tesla's electric truck, the Semi, has been put into service transporting Model 3 sedans to dealerships.

Keen-eyed Twitter users @emanueIreyes and @Westy543 spotted the working Tesla Semi at the end of last month, as the company rushed to fulfill orders and meet its sales targets.

It's believed the coronavirus pandemic has strained logistics, and could account for the Tesla Semi being called into service to transport the Model 3s.



The pictures were taken around the same time that Tesla founder Elon Musk emailed his employees asking that they "go all out" in their efforts, with the hopes of reporting a fourth quarter of profits and securing a place on the S&P 500.

Tesla is now the most valuable car maker in the world, thanks to its share price which continues to surge.

On Wednesday night shares of of the US electric vehicle maker hit US$1133, giving the stock a market capitalisation of US$209.5 billion, and overtaking Toyota's valuation in the process.

Last night Tesla stock continued to push higher, reaching an intraday high of US$1228. The company is now valued at US$224 billion.

California pushes for zero truck emissions

The Tesla Semi might be coming just at the right time for the automaker, as California last week announced new targets for zero emission trucks.

The California Air Resources Board – the state environmental body that has led the world in implementing anti-pollution car regulations for decades – has now mandated that five to nine per cent of trucks on the road in the US state must be zero emission vehicles (ZEV) by 2024.

Depending on the class of truck, that figure rises to 30-50 per cent of all medium and heavy vehicles by 2030.

In California, a medium or heavy truck is defined as weighing more than 3855 kilograms.
The ambitious targets create a favourable market for Tesla and its competitor Nikola, with both companies expected to launch zero emission trucks in the coming years.

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